The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-05-15
SOMETHING ABOUT LIBERIA i.
The Little Republic of Black Men
ON ffica's Coast.

New YORK, April 29--The little re
public OF Liberia, on the west coast {
Africa, is now just forty years old
Though the beginning of the country al
a civilized colony, under the efforts O
Henry Clay, dates back seventy-on,
years ago, it did not assume its entire
independence until 1847. The presence
now N the city of Mrs. M. II. G. Bar
boza, daughter of H. H. Garnet. the
late United States minister to that
country, has enabled Us to collect few
interesting facts concerning it.
Liberia represents tract of territory
about 600 miles in length along the
coast and which, generally speaking, is
about fifty miles in width. 1t has a
pleasantly diversified surface, is well
watered and furnishes the fruits and
products of the tropical zone. Agricul-
ture is the dominating interest, and
coff, e, sugar, cotton, rice and ginger are
among the staple crops produced. Milk
! is very scarce-the mix OF coWs-and
r tails at II cents or more quart Only
a few wealthy men can afford to keep a
COW, so that the owner OF cow there is
as CONSPICUOUS for his love of luxury
and ability to command it as the owner
of yacht is in England or America.
The milk of the common or average
peoI lie is drawn from goats.
| The people seem to be divided into
| two classes-those who are civilized and
possess citizenship and the ignorant
tribes who are wholly native. Only the
| former class, and not all of that, belongs
to to the body polite, as 1t requires,
among other things, the possession of a
certain amount of real estate to be able
to vote. The population (ciyilized)
numbers about 185. 900. Persons from
the ignorant classes are from time to
time added to the state constituency
through influence OF eudcation; but I'M
less they are so transferred they do not
count IN the census. 1t is understood
| that the very few whites who live in
rary purpose OF trade. They cannot
take part in the government or gain a
| title to land.
The hsuses and pubic buildings of
Liberia are built either of brick or wood i,
and are FURNISHED in the way houses OF
| that sort generally are Stoves. how
sqer, are not used, but freplaces are,
with wood for fuel. Among the forest
woods OF most Importance are ebony.
| rosewood, and mahogany. There is
also a kind of redwood. a tree, the
timber of which is called birthstone
| wood, admits of very high yellow
polish. The wismore is also very re-
markable tree, and there are not want
ing species of oak and pine. DyeWoods
and logwoods are numerous.
In the matter of mineral wealth, Ii.
IBERIA furnishes marble, mica and iron.
The iron is of verg superior quality.
Mrs. Barboza says that the people are
enabled TO make excellent roads out of
vary curious material-the mounds of
the Termite ants, whose sells in the in
terier of these mimic mountains are
most wonderful construction. The ants
go very far down in the earth and
bring up sand and rocks for their hab-
itations, which they work into some
thing like round bits of coral. This
material-for the mounds are very
numerOus-can be obtained to any ex--
tent, and is gathered and spread over
the town streets and the roads leading
therefTom. 1t makes a surface equally
as good as macadam, but has the ap-
pearance of concrete. When the ants
hills are disturbed they abandon them.
In spite of the good roads referred to
horses are not commonly used, particu-
larly in the towns and on the coast.
Oxen do duty for draft, and people who
travel are carried in palankeens. The
government has good system of
schools, and churches abound. The re-
public is exactly modelled after ours in
its executive, legislative and judicial
features. The president holds his Of
fee for two years, as the representatives,
do theirs, while the senator's hold for
10
fee is H. B. w. Johnson. He is in his
second term, and is now running third
time for the presidency, which is not a
violation of either the written or I'M
written laws there, and which shows
his popularity. The two parties which
carry on politics in Liberia are theWhig
and the Republican. The president who
is likely to be reelected once more,
represents the Whig party. The cleo
ton day occurs early in May.
Monrovia, the headquarters of the
government, and named after one OF
our presidents, contains only about
1900 people. A much larger town is
Grand Bassa. Liberia gets along with
out banks, though it must be that
prominent mercantile firms do this
style of business in addition to their
own. 1t also thrives without our ON
nipresent saloon. There are lawyers
there, however.
Some of the names of the natives are
curious. Barfofa means Header of his
people," Farquakwe means "a chief'
and Bahkur "a great talker." The man
who bears this name, it is no surprise
to hear, is lawyee. The seasons in
Liberia are not sa much different from
those on this continent on the same
isothermal line. They are called the
dry and the wet seasons. The dry
season lasts from November until the
third week in March, while the distinct
rainy season includes July and August.
There are, however, early spring and
summer rains. The government paper
currency, which is black and white in
color, is manufactured in England.
Mrs. Barboza, who has given us these
facts, IS the principal of the Garnet
Memorial school in BreWersyille. Lii
IBERIA, which is an academy for young
ladies, partially endowed BY the gov
eminent. It has now seventy-eight
pupils. As an indication that the cost
OF living cannot be great in this country,
We observe that 1850 per annum, in
greenbacks or specie, will board pupil
for one year" in this school. Nor can
education be expensive, when $25, the
prlce OF SCHOLARSHIP =-Oavs FOR eiyiI-